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| Kawtchhuah Ropuithe in Vangchhia village of Mizoram |
It is a 2,400-year-old site in the North-eastern state of Mizoram, suspected to have links with a lost civilisation. Situated on the Indo-Myanmar border, Kawtchhuah Ropuithe or the Great Gateway in Vangchhia village in Champhai district has been revered by locals for many generations. The site was discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India in 2015. With a geographical area of nearly 40km, Vangchhia is surrounded by thick forests, and has archaeological relics, menhirs, burial grounds, rock-cut caves, water pavilions and retaining walls.
Located close to the Myanmar border, the lush forested village of Vangchhia lies nestled in the Champhai-Farkawn mountain range of Mizoram. Vangchhia proves to be a necropolis and a lost civilisation. It extends to most parts of Mizoram, eastern part of Myanmar and some parts of Bangladesh. (A necropolis is a large, designed cemetery. The name stems from the ancient Greek nekropolis, meaning city of the dead.)
Over 100 menhirs (a tall upright stone of a kind erected in prehistoric times), rising almost 15 feet tall, stand at the excavation site and leave the visitors awestruck. The villagers of Vangchhia had been preserving the menhirs for years. The heritage site holds numerous artefacts and rocks which may lead to the findings of the early settlements of the region. The unearthed items include ancient iron artefacts and old pots, both broken and whole, stone blocks, structure water pavilions, ancient graves which shed lights on the lifestyles of the ancient settlers in the area.
Based on the remains, the cultural sequence of Vangchhia is divided into two periods - circa 600 to 1400 CE and circa 1400 CE to 1750 CE. The unique water pavilions found at the site belong to the first period. The menhirs, burial sites and the potsherds belong to the second.
Mizoram houses a number of unexplored heritage sites and the region has huge potential in Ecotourism sector with pleasant climatic conditions.
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| Kawtchhuah Ropuithe in Vangchhia village of Mizoram |
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| Kawtchhuah Ropuithe in Vangchhia village of Mizoram |
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| Kawtchhuah Ropuithe in Vangchhia village of Mizoram |
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| Kawtchhuah Ropuithe in Vangchhia village of Mizoram |
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| Kawtchhuah Ropuithe in Vangchhia village of Mizoram |
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| Kawtchhuah Ropuithe in Vangchhia village of Mizoram |
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| Kawtchhuah Ropuithe in Vangchhia village of Mizoram |
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| Kawtchhuah Ropuithe in Vangchhia village of Mizoram |
(Photo source: Google)
